Weather: Mostly cloudy. High of 81. Winds SE at 5-10 mph.
Note: Preferred lies were in effect for the first round. TPC Craig Ranch received 2.22 inches of rain on Wednesday.
First-Round Leaderboard
| Pos. | Player | R1 |
| 1 | Scottie Scheffler | 61 (-10) |
| T2 | Rico Hoey | 63 (-8) |
| T2 | Jhonattan Vegas | 63 (-8) |
| T4 | Seven players tied | 64 (-7) |
Scottie Scheffler (1st/-10)
- Dallas resident cards his second-lowest 18-hole score on TOUR; low: 59 (2020 FedEx St. Jude Championship/R2)
- Matches the second-lowest 18-hole score by any player on TOUR this season; low: 59 (Jake Knapp/Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches/R1); previous rounds of 61: Justin Thomas (RBC Heritage/R1); Aldrich Potgieter (Mexico Open at VidantaWorld/R2)
- Shoots 7-under 29 on the front nine to match the low front-nine score at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson since it moved to TPC Craig Ranch in 2021; matches the second-lowest 9-hole score by any player on TOUR in 2025 (lowest: 28/Jesper Svensson/Texas Children’s Houston Open)
- Fifth time leading/co-leading after the first round (1-for-4); led at 2019 Butterfield Bermuda Championship (finished T3); co-led at 2022 Charles Schwab Challenge (finished 2nd); led at 2022 TOUR Championship (finished T2); led at 2024 TOUR Championship (Won)
- 28-year-old seeks his 14th win in his 139th start on TOUR; last win: 2024 TOUR Championship
- Would be his fourth consecutive season with a win (four wins in 2022; two wins in 2023; seven wins in 2024)
- World No. 1 entered the week No. 7 in the FedExCup standings; has finished in the top 25 in each of his eight starts on TOUR in 2025 (best finish: T2/Texas Children’s Houston Open)
- Sixth appearance at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson; best finish: T5 (2023)
Rico Hoey (T2/-8)
- Matches his low 18-hole score on TOUR; previous instances: 2025 American Express (R2), 2024 American Express (R1)
- Hit all 14 fairways, the second time he has hit 100% of fairways in a round on TOUR; previous instance: 2024 World Wide Technology Championship (R1)
- Career-best five consecutive holes under par (birdied Nos. 2-6); started round on No. 10
- 29-year-old seeks first win on TOUR in 44th start; best finish: P2 (2024 ISCO Championship)
- Looks to become the first player from the Philippines to win on TOUR
- Has three top-25 finishes in 13 starts on TOUR this season; best finish of 2025: T11 (Texas Children’s Houston Open)
- Second appearance at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson (MC in 2024)
Jhonattan Vegas (T2/-8)
- Cards his low round of the 2025 season; previous low: 65 (The Sentry/R4)
- 40-year-old seeks his fifth win in his 318th start on TOUR (previous wins: 2011 American Express; 2016 RBC Canadian Open; 2017 RBC Canadian Open; 2024 3M Open)
- Has one top-10 finish in 10 starts on TOUR this season; 4th (The Sentry); entered the week with four consecutive missed cuts
- Ninth appearance at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson; one top-10 finish (T9/2021)
Miscellaneous Notes
- Stephan Jaeger (T4) shoots bogey-free 64; his lone PGA TOUR win in 163 starts came in Texas (2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open)
- After starting the week as an alternate, Cameron Champ (T4) opens with 7-under 64; Houston resident got into the field after Gary Woodland withdrew on Wednesday afternoon; matches his low 18-hole score of the 2025 season on TOUR (Puerto Rico Open/R4); owns three PGA TOUR wins in 156 starts (most recent: 2021 3M Open)
- Second-year PGA TOUR member Michael Thorbjornsen (via No. 1 in 2024 PGA TOUR University) cards bogey-free 64 and sits T4; best finish in 30 TOUR starts: T2 (two times; 2024 John Deere Classic; 2025 Corales Puntacana Championship); entered the week off back-to-back top-five finishes (T2/Corales Puntacana Championship; T4/Zurich Classic of New Orleans)
- Seeking his first PGA TOUR win in his 90th start, Eric Cole (T4) opens with 64; best finish on TOUR: 2nd (2023 Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches); T2 (2023 Baycurrent Classic)
- Andrew Putnam (T4) birdies three of his final four holes en route to 64; seeks second TOUR win in 226th start (2018 Barracuda Championship)
- Patton Kizzire (T4), who entered the week with nine missed cuts and one WD in 12 starts this season, posts 64; best finish of 2025: T40 (The Sentry)
- Highlighted by eagles on Nos. 5 and 9, Will Gordon (T4) opens with 7-under 64; entered the week with missed cuts in seven of his 10 starts this season; best finish of 2025: T7 (Farmers Insurance Open)
- Making his 13th appearance at the CJ CUP Byron Nelson, Dallas native and resident Jordan Spieth (T80) birdies his final two holes en route to 2-under 69
- Aon Swing 5: The top five FedExCup points earners from the Corales Puntacana Championship, Zurich Classic of New Orleans, and THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson will earn spots in next week’s Truist Championship via the Aon Swing 5.
